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Ow&pcuWlrźe>wţKl`pEr/(/L:X$˸}\ڱU+~ j,VOhv* v8IHɬC×u-„uw/܎| )V=,Q\2 Ȏ@~gEPԦnoJ+ZjOgWv]I!8 t=g]CW^®[J' U;'񭨽,̱QӼw[ݝR""o|t/v|O ?1K0'9֡ڳ=mu}y"F+ygpp}3Dy B$c4W z`;%Ty@ž lRNܞzt&_n@j9fimŸD/b{Ė!@F4WT589KTċAQeG/;Wt+BFnɰdm?>a 1Z4e#ץcn-ЁlYܼdCqFdf8@ssFm՞mYJ x\Ξ eToAW湒ց# ~e( iThe Prize!<br><br>At the big game we scored first on a 60-yard touchdown bomb from quarterback John Weitlich to Josh Lane, and we continued playing well, enjoying a 14-12 lead going into halftime. King City wasn't about to give up, and took a two-touchdown lead heading into the fourth quarter. Just like the week before, nobody panicked. Through months of lifting we knew we could accomplish anything with our best effort. We chipped away at their lead and the defense kept them scoreless the rest of the way through the fourth quarter. With just 38 seconds remaining we put the ball into the end zone one more time and secured our victory 10-26-DeKalb's first state championship in school history!<br>The feeling gained from such a victory is indescribable. This was what we had been hoping, praying and working for all year. We worked so hard to get there, putting in countless hours in the weight room and dedicating ourselves to practice. This is the biggest accomplishment of our lives thus far. We will never forget what happened out on that field. It is a memory that will last a lifetime. leadership, dedication, family and having the heart of a champion.&nbsp; Well, the message hit home so much that there was very little for the coaches to say.&nbsp; The 1996 team had been challenged by a former player and the only question was how would they respond.&nbsp; The first good sign came on Monday morning when a senior, Donnie Sargent, came in with a message he had printed entitled "Heart Check".&nbsp; He asked me if he could put the message&nbsp;on the players lockers and&nbsp;I said yes immediately.&nbsp; We talked about it all week individaully and as a team.&nbsp; We always talk about dealing with adversity to the team and now they knew it was time to stand up and be counted.&nbsp; It certainly seemed to work as we went on to win our last 6 conference games and gained the fourth and last spot in the playoffs.&nbsp; We were 7-1 and the three other teams were 8-0; we would have to go on the road for the first time in three years.&nbsp; However, the players knew that would be the case from the second week on and they were excited about the opportunity of being back in the playoffs.</P> <P>We played the number one seeded team at their field.&nbsp; They were undefeated and to make matters worse they were coached by a close friend of mine who had come over from New York a couple of years after me.&nbsp; We were losing 7-6 at the half in what would be a classic playoff game.&nbsp; At half-time, our captain, Daryn Plummer came over to me to ask if he could speak to the team.&nbsp; I agreed and Daryn spoke to the team about our theme of "Team First" in 96 and about what it had taken for us to get this far.&nbsp; He reminded the players about the off-season and summer BFS program as well as our week in the Poconos.&nbsp; There was no real discussion of X's and O's.&nbsp; We went ahead 13-7 in the third quarter after Nick Solomon, a junior running back, ran from 20 yards following a forced poor punt.&nbsp; Nick is 5'8" 185 pounds and has a 400 Parallel Squat, a 225-pound Clean, 500-pound Dead Lift and runs a 4.5 forty.&nbsp; He along with Daryn Plummer, Jan Handeland, Chris Harris, Reggie Garrett and the rest of our seniors typify the Upper Limit Athlete.&nbsp; With three minutes left, Sayreville sc